Iman, the renowned supermodel, has honored her late husband, David Bowie, with a deeply symbolic new tattoo. The legendary musician passed away on January 10, 2016, at the age of 69, after an 18-month private battle with liver cancer. To mark the 10th anniversary of his death, Iman chose to get five minimalist rune-like black symbols from his final album, ‘Blackstar,’ tattooed on her forearm. These symbols spell out “BOWIE” in an abstract way.
The 70-year-old shared this moment on Instagram on Saturday, posting footage of the tattooing process. Her caption read: “Jan 10th. The pain didn’t vanish.. it left in its place a loving permanent mark.” She also used the hashtag “#BowieForever.”
Iman, who shares daughter Alexandria “Lexi” Zahra Jones, 25, with David, and is stepmother to his 54-year-old son, filmmaker Duncan Jones, from his previous marriage to 76-year-old model and actress Angie Bowie, included the hashtag “#BowieForever” in her post. She chose David’s 1977 song ‘Subterraneans’ as the soundtrack for her tribute. Fans responded warmly to the heartfelt message in the comments.
One follower wrote: “Amazing. Simply beautiful. Thinking of you, Lexi and Duncan (and family) on this day. Sending light and love always.”
Another admirer shared: “What a beautiful tattoo. And tribute to your wonderful husband.”
A third supporter added: “True love never dies! Much much [love] to you and your family! Beautiful tribute!”
Just 48 hours before the 10th anniversary of David’s passing, Iman celebrated what would have been his 79th birthday with a touching Instagram tribute. Alongside a monochrome photograph of the five-time Grammy award winner, she wrote: “Jan 8th. Happy Heavenly Birthday. Your light burns so bright in all our hearts! We love and miss you.”
Iman also used the hashtag “#BowieForever.” Alexandria similarly turned to social media to honor her father on his special day. She shared a collection of photographs capturing moments between them throughout the years, posting: “Da big 79 today. Happy birthday pops, miss ya!”
Iman first met David after being introduced on a blind date back in 1990. Speaking to HELLO! magazine in 2000, the Starman legend revealed: “My attraction to her was immediate and all-encompassing. That she would be my wife, in my head, was a done deal. I’d never gone after anything in my life with such passion in all my life. I just knew she was the one.”
For Iman, the realization that David was her soulmate came just two weeks into their romance. During a 2011 interview with The Cut, she recalled: “I was coming from Paris, and I got to Los Angeles at the airport. The doors open to the plane, and I come out, and I see all these people taking a picture of somebody… He was standing there, flowers in hand, no security. That was when I knew he was a keeper.”
Following a romantic proposal on the banks of the River Seine in France, the pair exchanged vows in two separate ceremonies in 1992. They first tied the knot in a private ceremony on April 24 of that year in Lausanne, Switzerland, followed by a larger wedding ceremony two months later at the American Church of St. James in Florence, Italy, on June 6, 1992.
They remained together until David’s passing in January 2016. In a 2021 interview with People, Iman expressed that she “still feels married” even after David’s death. She further stated: “Someone a few years ago referred to David as my late husband, and I said, ‘No, he’s not my late husband. He’s my husband.’ Through my memory, my love lives.”
